After being cast as the new lead on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor,” Mel Owens had a lot to look forward to.
However, things took a dark turn when the retired NFL linebacker admitted his plans to eliminate any contestant over 60 years old.
During an appearance on the “In The Trenches” podcast in June, Owens — who spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of the show’s premiere — opened up about the age limitations he allegedly requested ahead of casting.
“It’s blind up until they get out of the limo. But they asked me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So, I just said 45 to 60, just being honest,” he said. “And then the process went, and I was selected, right? And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’ ‘Oh Mel, you can’t, you know, this is not the ‘Silver Bachelor.’ It’s the ‘Golden Bachelor.’ He goes, ‘But they’re going to be hot, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.’”
Additionally, Owens said he asked producers to “stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the show’s leading man opened up about the mishap, shared how he earned the ladies’ trust back, and explained why he believes there’s “no age to love.”
“I apologized when I met the women on the first night,” Owens — who has already wrapped filming his season — said. “I had been married for 25 years and all my experiences at that time were just with my wife and the friends that we had. So I hadn’t experienced anybody outside of my wife. But again, it was unfair and I apologized and went forward and asked them to let me earn it back and, hopefully, I did on the season.”
“It takes sincerity and I was sincere about it,” he added. “And so I apologized to the group when we were all there after the introductions. And then, individually, I would say most of them asked me again and I told them and I apologized so sincerely. I told them that I wanted to earn it back and just give me another chance, and they did, and hopefully that they found out that I was sincere and we can move forward.”
When asked why he made the comments, Owens told Glamour last month, “Because I didn’t know anything about The Golden Bachelor ages. I didn’t.”
He explained, “I had watched the first show when I was younger, when it first launched or something in 2002, until my son was born. But then when he was born, I didn’t watch it anymore. So when these people talk about, ‘Hey, this season and that season,’ I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it.”
Instead, Owens said his idea of the “golden” years was based on his personal frame of reference — not the show’s legacy.
“I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment,” he admitted. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know. And I didn’t know that [Gerry Turner, the original Golden Bachelor] got married and then divorced. I didn’t know any of it.”
Despite the backlash, Owens said he doesn’t foresee his controversial comments shutting out a powerful part of the show’s audience when it comes to age and acceptance.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem because all the women were great, and they’re very accomplished and sophisticated and beautiful,” said Owens.
“There’s no age to love and there’s no age in your spirit,” he added. “So I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised when you see the show.”
In July, “Golden Bachelor” alum Gerry Turner told Fox News Digital that he fears Owens will be “cheating himself” if he decides to pursue his controversial plan.
“I think it would be unfortunate, and I really think he will have a change of heart in this. I think he will see the grace and the charm of women who are over 60 and the confidence they carry, and I think he’ll have a change of heart,” Turner, 73, said of Owens.
“The people that I met in my season, I go through them, and it’s like, they’re all a gift. To have gotten to know them… Each and every one of them [brought] some unique characteristics to the show, unique characteristics to life.”
“The age thing… ignore the number, deal with the person,” Turner added.
“His comments about anybody that’s had a hip replacement or has a wig or anything like that, I really don’t believe that the ABC producers in casting, particularly casting that I have a high level of confidence with, I don’t think they would be casting a person who has that shallow of a perspective. I think some of [Owens’ comments] requires some context, and it may have been taken out of context and so forth.”
“But bottom line is, I hope he does look at it differently because if he doesn’t, I think he’ll be cheating himself.”
Though Turner’s romance from the show ended in a divorce from Teresa Nist, he had an incredible experience and hopes Owens can have the same.
“If he treats each and every one of them with courtesy and respect and is a good listener, pays attention to them and so forth, and ignores their age number, I think it’ll be fine,” said Turner. “Everyone that gets thrown into this situation has to find their own way. I was fortunate enough, I had very good mentoring on the show.”
“I had people that carefully moved me through some of the pitfalls that maybe Mel hasn’t quite avoided as much because I remember specifically being told just, ‘Gerry, ignore the age thing,’ that ‘You’ll really find beautiful women of all ages in the show.’ And I think he will as well.”
While Owens stayed mum on whether he found love this season, he has a better understanding of what love is.
“[Love is] compatibility, someone you can share your life with, someone that you have fun with, that you’re constantly laughing and learning from both ways and both directions,” he said. “And sometimes you just want to have a person that you can be with. And that’s what I think love is to me anyway.”
“The Golden Bachelor” premieres on Sept. 24 on ABC.
